Chesed — Giving (חסד — הנתינה)

Core definition

Chesed as an attribute is the Divine (and human) power of giving — bestowal. "It is stated in the Zohar (III, 92b): 'There is chesed and there is chesed.' There is a chesed called 'chesed olam' (everlasting kindness) — the level of chesed zuta (the lesser chesed), the chesed of Ze'ir Anpin... and there is a chesed which is the level of 'rav chesed' (abundant kindness) — the chesed of Arich Anpin, above the order of hishtalshelut" [31659/maamar_002 :: עב׳ 42–45]. The first is "midas haChesed" of the Arizal's writings; the second is called "Gedulah" — "as it is written, 'u'ligdolaso ein cheker' ('His greatness is unsearchable,' Tehillim 145:3): to His essential greatness there is no probing at all" [31659/maamar_002 :: עב׳ 44–46].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Chesed zuta: giving according to worthiness. The lower chesed — Ze'ir Anpin's — is measured: "For the matter of chesed is to bestow to the worthy, in the aspect of abundance of bestowal more than he is worthy, in truth — and moreover: that from the side of chesed he is not so exacting in his fellow." Yet "chesed's matter is not to bestow also to one who is not worthy at all, but to the worthy." "Chesed is according to seichel: that there is the obligation of his seichel — for which reason he will do chesed with him" — hence "chesed is in the aspect of a limit: since chesed is in the aspect of relation to the receiver — for according to the receiver's manner — that he is worthy — the chesed is drawn" [31643/maamar_016 :: §93–171]. "And it is known that chesed is from the side of ahavah: for through loving him, he does chesed with him" — an ahavah that comes from seichel, and is therefore limited [31643/maamar_016 :: §123–126]. It is called "chesed and mercy to one who lacks specifically" — "חם דלית" — mercy drawn "since he is lacking" [31643/maamar_016 :: §232–235]. Above, this is "ולך אדני חסד כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו" — "'and Yours, my Master, is chesed: for You repay a man according to his deed' (Tehillim 62:13)" [31643/maamar_016 :: §262].

Rav chesed: giving beyond worthiness. "The chesed drawn from the essential Gedulah, where 'kula kamei k'lo chashiv' (all is as nothing before Him) and the worlds occupy no place at all" — "therefore from there it is drawn that there be forgiveness of sins — 'nosei avon' (bearing iniquity)." The parable: "as with a great king above: because of the intensity of his greatness and exaltedness, no person occupies any place relative to him — so he bestows good upon everyone, even one not so worthy, because no person occupies a place with him" [31659/maamar_002 :: עב׳ 48–51]. This is "erech apayim v'gadol chesed" — the chesed of the thirteen attributes, "the chesed drawn from the aspect of Gedulah" [31659/maamar_002 :: עב׳ 48]. Yackov's root is in this level: "his root is from the level of 'gadol chesed' — the level of rav chesed of Arich Anpin... 'where all are equal'" — hence "below, Yackov fed and gave drink to everyone, and said of him, 'Lu Yishmael yichyeh lefanecha' — though he knew Yishmael was unworthy" [31659/maamar_002 :: עב׳ 55–61].

Yackov, the merkavah of chesed. "The Avos are the Merkavah... Yackov was a merkavah for the middah of Chesed of Atzilus": "the middah of Chesed said before the Holy One, blessed be He: 'All the days Avram was in the land, I did not need to do my work, for Avram stands and serves in my place'" — "he bestowed upon every person," "generous with his body, his soul, and his money" [31659/maamar_002 :: §21–27]. In Chassidic language this is "the level of chesed that comes from bitul (self-nullification): this is the concept of Yackov's chesed: he bestowed upon all because he was nullified with utter bitul" — "I am dust and ashes" [31659/maamar_002 :: §29–31]. His bestowing on all came "from his essential middas hatov — his great delight in the bestowing itself" [31643/maamar_016 :: Summary (p. צח)].

Key distinctions

Chesed zuta vs. rav chesed. The lesser chesed (Ze'ir Anpin, "midas haChesed," "chesed olam"): giving to the worthy, measured by seichel, in relation to the receiver. The abundant chesed (Arich Anpin, "Gedulah," "erech apayim v'gadol chesed"): above hishtalshelut, bestowing "upon everyone, even one not so worthy," because before essential greatness no one occupies a place [31659/maamar_002 :: עב׳ 42–51].

Chesed vs. tov. "Just as gevurah and evil are completely distinguished, so tov and chesed are two distinguished matters; as evil is infinitely lower than gevurah, so tov is infinitely higher than chesed." Chesed bestows "to the worthy, in more abundance than he is worthy... but not to one not worthy at all"; tov bestows "to all, even the unworthy" — "from the giver's essence — not related to the receiver — bestowing to all equally — 'tov Havayah lakol urachamav al kol maasav'" [31643/maamar_016 :: Summary (p. צח), §229].

Chesed vs. gevurah. Chesed is the power of expansion and giving; gevurah "is only the exacting power (whether worthy), for rectification" — "when found rectified, gevurah agrees to bestow — on the contrary in more bestowal" [31643/maamar_016 :: Summary (p. צח)].

Related concepts

Gevurah (the exacting counterpart); Tov (goodness — above chesed); Rachamim (mercy); Ahavah (love — the source of chesed); Yackov (the merkavah of chesed); Gemilus chasadim (deeds of kindness — chesed in human avodah); The thirteen attributes of mercy ("erech apayim v'gadol chesed").

Sources